and while we’re still sort of on the topic of japanese things, i got my hair cut yesterday. i asked my friend louis, who grew up in paris, where to go for the cut. he immediately suggested superstars, located in the 1st arrondissement. as soon as he followed the reccomendation by saying it was “very japanese” i was sold.
looking in from the outside of superstars - there weren’t computers on the table when i was there, instead they had at least 30 (very high quality) magazines to browse through. i was flipping through copies of lula, hero, and i-D.
and it is very japanese, as i found. superstars was founded in tokyo, and then two years ago opened their second salon here in paris. all the staff is japanese and from tokyo, so obviously i had the most challenging and greatest time trying to communicate with someone who was only a bit more fluent in french than i am. it was actually a fantastic challenge, as i was forced to practice my french in the real world.
asako, my stylist, had just moved to paris from tokyo two years ago to study and work at superstars. she was wearing skinny jeans, retro pump adidas, and a white lab coat (as was her assistant), all topped off by her pale, blonde/lavender hair wrapped in a topknot - obviously i was seriously excited for her to work her magic.
i didn’t get any crazy cut, just an updated version of what i’ve had for a long time now (short everything, long top), but the experience was amazing. superstars is a place where they really do go beyond the call of duty, whether in terms of design, hospitality, or service. i must have spent at least 1.5 hours there having a fantastic time getting my hair washed, cut, and massaged, while talking about paris, tokyo, new york, art, and a million other things. it was almost a spa, but i walked out with a new haircut on top of my sanity restored. if you’re ever in paris and need a trim, this is the place to go.
where the magic happens.
check ‘em out here.
